Partners in Crime
by Withen'aych
Summary: Lizzie and Edwin have only been each other’s best friend & partner in crime. But the older they get, & the more time they spend alone together, the more they start noticing about each other. Will this bring them closer, or destroy their friendship? Lizwin
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Lizzie and Edwin have been each other's best friend and partner in crime since their families blended. But the older they get, and the more time they spend alone together, the more stuff they start noticing about each other. Will this bring them closer, or destroy their friendship? Lizwin!**

**A/N: So I've been dying to write a Lizwin fanfic of my own for a month or so now. I finally decided to just sit down and start typing… and this is the result. I rated it T because I'm not sure where I'm going with this, and just want to be safe. On that note, I don't have much of a plan for this fic, so your reviews will really help. Hope you enjoy! - The Ya**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Life With Derek... never have, never will.**

LIZZIE'S POV

"De-_rek_! Get back here!" Casey's voice chased Derek through the hallway. His footsteps pounded down the stairs, and when a door slammed Lizzie knew that her sister was going to track him down.

_So much for sleeping in_, Lizzie thought. She rolled over in her bed and threw back the covers. Normally, Lizzie was up before the rest of her siblings (with the exception of Marti, of course). Sleeping late always left her feeling like she'd wasted the morning; instead of loafing in her room, she could have been practicing soccer passes with the garage door or playing with her ferrets.

However, last night Lizzie had stayed up late finishing a project. When she had gone to ask Edwin for homework help, they had become distracted, and Lizzie vaguely remembered stumbling into her bed at two in the morning.

As she rummaged through her dresser drawers for a pair of sweats and a clean t-shirt, Lizzie attempted to recall what, exactly, she and Edwin had talked about.

_FLASHBACK_

Lizzie knocked lightly on Edwin's door. "Hey, Edwin? Are you awake?"

"Yeah Lizzie, come in."

She opened the door to his attic room quietly, and shut it just as carefully. Casey hadn't been sleeping well lately, and morphed into a roaring bear the minute she was awakend up.

"What's up?" Edwin was sitting at his desk, scrolling through a particularly lengthy e-mail. Lizzie noticed the subject line mentioned something about their school's athletics program. _That's odd. Edwin doesn't play sports._ Edwin closed the window, and then swiveled his chair around to face her.

Lizzie held up a file filled with pages of highlighted reading material in one hand, and a few worksheets with various graphs and word problems in the other.

"I have no idea what I'm doing," she began. "We started a new unit a few days ago, and Mr. Matthews is testing us on it already." Lizzie stopped when she noticed Edwin's grin.

"What?" she demanded.

Edwin reached a hand behind his head and ran his fingers through his already tousled black locks. His grin remained.

_It's so hot when he does that_, Lizzie thought. A mental pause, and then: _Wait- what? Edwin's not hot! He's dorky and cute in a brotherly-way. But he is definitely not hot._

"Lizzie?" Edwin interrupted her silent berating. "I'll help you, but you need to be awake enough to pay attention, because this unit is actually difficult to understand."

"Then why am I asking you for help?" Lizzie teased. At his eye roll she walked over to Edwin's bed and sat down, carefully spreading the pages out beside her. She produced a few pencils from her pocket and dropped them on top of the worksheets. "Where do we start?"

"Why don't we take a look at these graphs of parabolas?" Edwin reached for the first worksheet, knocking the pencils onto the floor as he did so; they rolled under the bed.

"Crap," he said, as he knelt on the floor to trawl the darkness of the space under his bed with his fingers.

At the same moment, Lizzie leaned over to grab one by her foot. "Maybe it's too late to do this, Edwin. I could probably go in for help during lunch tomorrow."

No response. She felt his eyes on her, and her head snapped back up.

Lizzie's eyes collided with Edwin's; they both paused, transfixed for what seemed like an eternity. There was no sound in the room, save for their breathing. Lizzie had never noticed exactly how deep Edwin's eyes were. They were like endless pools of brown, and they captured her concentration.

Abruptly, she tore her gaze away. _Why have I never noticed Edwin's eyes before?_ Lizzie wondered. _Every time we traded secrets and made deals in the games closet, every time we hung out watching movies, every time I convinced him to play soccer in the backyard and we inevitably ended up tangled and exhausted on the ground… why am I only noticing now?_

Edwin cleared his throat, breaking the tension in the room. Still avoiding his eyes, Lizzie picked up her notebook and slowly, deliberately printed her name in the top corner.

"So, Lizzie, if you want to understand why these equations are functions, there are some basic rules you can write down to help you remember."

"Sounds good Edwin. What's the first rule?"

And just like that, everything seemed back to normal. Edwin explained the problems in detail; Lizzie listened and copied down everything he professed. The whole time they teased each other. Her revelations remained tucked in the back of her mind, even when they relaxed and just talked.

_END FLASHBACK_

"Lizzie! Nora says to come down stairs," Marti proclaimed as she bounced into Lizzie room.

"Okay, thanks Marti. You can tell her I'll be down." Lizzie looked down at the pair of sweat pants she was presently holding until she realized what she had been doing. Marti still hadn't left her room.

"Are you tired Lizzie? You look tired."

"I am a little, Marti. I stayed up late finishing my homework last night." Lizzie discreetly omitted the fact that Edwin had been helping her in his room. For some reason, she didn't feel like that was… appropriate, even though all they had been doing was homework.

_Edwin's eyes are amazing._

Well, there was that, too. Lizzie sighed, and turned around to send Marti out of her room, only to find that her step-sister had already left. She shut her door and quickly changed for breakfast.

EDWIN'S POV

There was nothing good on TV. He'd tried all his favorite channels, had surfed the news and weather stations, and had even attempted to be interested in one of those 24/7 infomercial channels. No such luck.

_I know what my problem is,_ Edwin decided. _I need to go talk to Lizzie._ Before Dad had married Nora, Edwin would have inevitably ended up in Derek's room, trying to get a straight answer from his brother that wouldn't cost him his savings. But now, whenever he couldn't figure out what was going on in his head, Lizzie could. Both knew the other backwards and forwards, since they had done so much scheming together for the past several years. In fact, they probably knew each other better than their respective older siblings did.

Edwin shut off the TV, and was about to make his way upstairs when Derek walked in through the front door.

"Hey Edwin, make me a sandwich," he ordered, in his familiar commandeering tone. "The usual." Derek shrugged off his jacket and made his way over to his chair.

Edwin didn't move. He really didn't feel like making Derek's sandwich this time. For some reason, the urge to go find Lizzie and talk to her was stronger than his fear of Derek's wrath. _Maybe I can slip upstairs without him noticing…_ Edwin thought hopefully.

"Edwin! Last time I checked you can't make a sandwich standing on the stairs." Derek even shifted in his seat so he could eyeball his brother and show him he wasn't kidding.

_I give up._ Resigned, Edwin shuffled into the kitchen and began searching for the mayonnaise. As he rummaged through the cupboard, he reminded himself of what had happened that noon.

_FLASHBACK_

"Smerek, where's the peanut butter?" Marti looked up at Derek helplessly.

Though his communication skills were impaired by a peanut butter and nutella sandwich, Derek managed to say "I don't know Marti, ask Edwin. He used it last." He tossed an accusing glance in his brother's direction.

_Typical._ thought Edwin. "I only used it to make YOU a sandwich, Derek. And it's it the corner cupboard Marti."

"Thanks Edwin," Marti said, proceeding to pull every jar out of the cupboard in her search for PB. Edwin figured he had better vanish from the kitchen so no one would blame him for the mess, even though he knew full well Derek would somehow impugn him anyway. He retreated upstairs.

Just as Edwin was about to seclude himself in his attic room, he heard music playing from Casey's room. What piqued his interest was the fact that Casey was at dance classes, and no one was allowed in her room when she was gone. Stealthily, Edwin crept toward his eldest step-sister's doorway- and found Lizzie sitting on the bed flipping through a magazine.

"Lizzie?"

His partner in crime lept off the bed, shocked by the sound of his voice, and dragged Edwin into the room, shutting the door behind him and pushing him against it.

"What is it Edwin?" she asked, a hint of irritation in her tone.

Defensively, Edwin held up his hands. "I was just wondering what you were doing in Casey's room. Not that it matters, as I've probably done the same stuff in Derek's when he wasn't home." He attempted to peer around Lizzie while he spoke to discern what, exactly, she'd been perusing. To his surprise, the magazine wasn't one of Casey's; instead the article titles, partially obscured, lauded the latest releases in the gaming world. _That looks like the latest issue of GAMERS' reVIEWS. Lizzie has never read about computer games before. I wonder why she's suddenly interested?_

Before Edwin could dwell on the topic any longer, Lizzie backed up and sat on the bed, tucking the glossy publication under the covers once she did. "You're right Edwin."

"I am?" Edwin felt confused. "I mean, of course I am, but about what am I right?"

Lizzie laughed. "You're right that it doesn't matter. I was bored and hoped that a change of 'scenery' might change my mood." She paused then, and tilted her head slightly, as if she was contemplating something. However, she looked directly at Edwin, so he was dubious as to whether it wasn't him she was contemplating.

"Hello? Earth to Lizzie! Why are you staring at…" _Me. Do I have my shirt on inside out? Or is it something else entirely?_ Edwin finally settled on "Why are you staring?"

"Nevermind. Let's go do something Edwin. I can't stand lazing around all day long." Lizzie hopped off the bed and reached past Edwin for the doorknob. He watched as she walked into the hallway towards the stairs, and as she did so, flipped her hair off her shoulders so she could pull it into a ponytail.

_Ooooh. That was so hot._ A moment passed before Edwin realized what he had thought. _What? Lizzie… hot?! She's cute, but in a tomboy, stubborn sister kind of way. Where did that even come from?_

"Edwin, are you going to stand in that doorway forever? Come on!" Lizzie called him from the stairs. He hastily abandoned his thoughts and traipsed after his step-sister.

"Okay, I'm coming. Just so long as you don't want to practice hockey goals."

"Why, because you're always goalie?" Lizzie asked in a teasing voice.

"Precisely. Why don't we-"

_END FLASHBACK_

"EDWIN! Where is my sandwich?!" Derek's impatient cry resonated in house.

Grumbling, Edwin slapped on a second slice of bread, a proceeded to deliver it to his ungrateful older brother. "Here. Eat. Enjoy. Leave me alone."

"Why so grumpy, Edwin?" Derek accepted his sandwich without thanks, and doled out the question with a half-smirk.

Edwin turned away, ignoring Derek's remark, and went to the coat rack to retrieve his jacket. He had heard the familiar slap sounds of a hockey stick hitting a puck from the driveway, and ventured outside to find Lizzie.

**A/N: Yay! I'm happy how this first part turned out; the trick now is to keep my momentum going.**

**Comments: ****One thing that is important to me is keeping everyone in character; please let me know if I did this or not. I wasn't sure if I should split this into one chapter or two, and just made a decision. Also, I don't have plans to include any Dasey, just so you all know. I'm totally open to constructive criticism, so please be honest. Just, don't be cruel. :)**

**Thanks for reading! (Please review if you get a chance!) -The Ya**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: Lizzie and Edwin have been each other's best friend and partner in crime since their families blended. Now they're seeing each other in a different light… will it ruin their relationship, or bring them closer together? Lizwin!**

**A/N: Well, so much for keeping my momentum going. If anyone would like to share antidotes for writer's block -just in case I have to face that beast again- I'd gladly welcome them. Although, to be honest part of the problem was that I lost my flash drive. But it's all good now. :) In other news, enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Life With Derek or Burger King. (If I did, you can bet this would be happening in the TV show instead of on , and BK's burgers would actually taste good.)**

LIZZIE'S POV

Practice had been awful. Lizzie stormed into the house several steps ahead of Edwin and headed straight for her room, ignoring the fact that she felt her mom's eyes on her. She tossed her backpack into a corner, and sank down onto her bed, groaning in frustration. On any normal day, Lizzie could handle whatever her coach dished out; but this time, for some inexplicable reason, her coach's critiques had aggravated her to no end. She reviewed the whole day, culling her memory for any extenuating circumstance which might have led to her current state of mind.

Nothing. Zip. Nada. Zilch.

A knock on the door interrupted her musings.

"Come in," was Lizzie's somewhat reluctant reply.

Her mom pushed door open, stepped inside, and shut it softly behind her. "Thanks Lizard," she said affectionately. "So… you seem upset. Do you want to share?"

"There's not really much to share. Hockey practice was abysmal because coach was ragging on me the whole time. I usually don't let it bother me. … But I guess I just wasn't focusing… so I don't really blame her." Lizzie sighed. "Yeah. I guess that's it."

Nora smiled. "I'm so proud of you, Lizard. We all have 'off' days; you just don't let it bother you too much."

Lizzie threw a confused glance her mom's way. "What are you talking about? Don't I seem bothered to you?"

"Yes, but you discussed your problem so neatly. I'm willing to bet that you know what the real issue is, and it's not that your coach was giving you a hard time. You'll solve it without hours of drama, and be on your way. After all," and here Nora laugh quietly, "You're not Casey. You've never been much for wallowing in self-pity or agonizing over nuances. You keep your life moving."

"Oh."

Her mother leaned over to hug her briefly, then straightened up and walked back toward the door. "You have two very important traits Lizzie. Spirit and determination. Hockey'll be a blast again by the time your next practice rolls around."

And with those parting words, Lizzie found herself back with her unhelpful thoughts.

_Mom said "I'm willing to bet that you know what the real issue is…" What was she talking about? I told her that my problem was I couldn't focus. Isn't that enough?_

Lizzie gritted her teeth and rolled over. This shouldn't be so difficult to assess.

_Why couldn't I focus? School had gone well, there wasn't anything for me to be worried about. Jamie and I had hung out like we do everyday; I'd gotten an A on my health paper; Derek was in a charitable mood when he and Edwin came to take me to practice; Edwin even decided to stay while I practiced because, well, I don't actually know why he stayed. He's never…_

Lizzie shot up straight, eyes wide with realization. Edwin had decided to stay for practice. **That** was what was different. That was why she couldn't focus. _Wait- that doesn't even make sense. I couldn't focus because of Edwin?! Ridiculous! It's not like I'm ever nervous around him… well, except for that incident last week in his room. And that time a couple days ago…_

This was too much. She had to do something else. Lizzie swung her legs off her bed and retrieved her soccer ball from where it had been sequestered. She swiftly exited her room and made a beeline for the yard. Grabbing her hoodie from the hook, she paid no notice to the winter cold and retreated out the front door.

Lizzie dropped the ball to her feet and began dribbling across the driveway. She would have liked to have been able to claim that she **hadn't** noticed Edwin lounging on the couch as she made her escape, but that would have been far from the truth. Lizzie had been acutely aware. Which made her attempts to lose herself in practicing fancy footwork much more difficult.

EDWIN'S POV

He watched as she dashed out the front door, barely glancing his way. Since the end of practice she'd barely said a word to anyone, and although she hadn't vocalized what irked her, Edwin could sense the waves of agitation rolling off her. In fact, he might have claimed to feel them lingering in her wake, had anyone asked him. (But, of course, no one did.)

Edwin tore his eyes from the empty doorway and directed his attention back to the TV, but, strangely enough, the Myth-Busters rerun didn't intrigue him now. He hit the power button on the remote before separating himself from the couch cushions.

And then he stood, indecisively, in the uncharacteristically empty and quiet great room.

Half of him wanted to follow Lizzie and get her to share what was bothering her. He was nearly certain she would open up to him. The other half wasn't sure if venturing into the cold to approach an upset girl was the smartest move. If it were any other girl he knew, the most he'd have to fear would be tears; but with Lizzie, the wrong question could very well land him on the ground.

Edwin deliberated for another moment before deciding on a tentative course of action. He headed for the kitchen, and once there set the teakettle on the stove to boil. Edwin fumbled through a cupboard in search of hot chocolate mix, and his hand emerged triumphant, holding two packets of the hazelnut-flavored variety. (He was cognizant that they were Lizzie's favorite.) After he had selected two large mugs and was emptying the packets' contents into them, Derek barged through the back door and allowed it to slam shut behind him. The draft made Edwin shudder, and he almost reconsidered his nearing foray into the front yard.

"Hey Edwin, do we have anymore of those frozen burritos?"

"Yeah, in the bottom shelf of the freezer," Edwin indicated with a jerk of his head.

"Cool." Derek pushed past his younger brother and buried himself shoulder-deep in the appliance.

_As if it weren't cold enough outside._ Edwin thought. The kettle'd begun to whistle, so he grabbed it and poured the steaming water into each mug in turn. He made for the front door, but didn't get far until Derek called him from behind.

"Ed! I don't see them. Come and find them for me." His command was given with the laid-back tone of someone who hadn't even considered that they might be ignored.

Therefore, that's exactly what Edwin did. He shrugged into his coat, picked up the mugs from the rail, and walked out the door, leaving Derek standing in the kitchen, still unaware that his 'lackey' didn't intend to comply with his directive.

_That felt good. I should really ignore Derek more often._ He smirked privately.

Edwin shut the door with some difficulty, given that he had two torrid mugs to contend with. When he turned around, he saw that Lizzie had not noticed him yet, so he paused and appraised her. She was performing an intricate series of passes, reacting to the rebounds the lowered garage door directed back at her. Lizzie's hair was pull back loosely, and wisps floated free. She was bundled warmly, but Edwin could somewhat discern her figure through the sweats and hoodie, and, as any teenage boy would, appreciated her lean silhouette and developing chest. He felt his body warm suddenly, and decided it was time to give Lizzie her mug before it burned him up.

"Lizzie!"

Startled, she turned around and almost let the ball slip past her and roll towards the road. She held it steady with her foot and leaned forward onto her horizontal thigh, regaining her breath. Edwin drew near, holding out her mug.

"I brought you hot chocolate. You know, because it's practically arctic out."

"Thanks Edwin," Lizzie said gratefully. She accepted the chocolate and immediately took a sip, cursing when it burned her tongue. "I guess I forgot it'd be hot," she laughed quickly, smiling ruefully.

Edwin was temporarily at a loss for words. She had been practicing so persistently that she must have been perspiring heavily, but all he observed were her flushed cheeks and bright eyes. The few diaphanous tresses which weren't held in place by her elastic framed her face. And, funny, he didn't feel any cooler after having relinquished the aforementioned hot chocolate. He must have seen her the same way a thousand times before, but he hadn't **seen** her. Not with the same eyes, at the very least.

"…Edwin?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry. What Lizzie?" He lifted the drink to his mouth, gulping down a large swig. Too late he remembered that the hot chocolate was fiercely searing, and it scalded his throat. He resolutely finished swallowing, restraining from showing Lizzie that he'd been foolish and distracted enough to do exactly what she'd done moments before.

"Nothing, I guess." She regarded her mug warily before sipping off the rim.

Edwin squared his shoulders. "Liz, whatever it is, it's not 'nothing'. You were really frustrated during practice, and I know something's wrong. You were so preoccupied that you didn't even accost Derek when he ordered from the Burger King drive-thru on the way home." He scrutinized her expression, but she'd dropped her carefree demeanor as soon as he'd opened his big mouth. Which, of course, only served to worry him more.

There was a pregnant pause, lessened only slightly by a car rolling by the house.

LIZZIE'S POV

_What do I tell him? I can't very well say that he's my problem. Or, rather, that I'm enigmatically unfocused by his presence. Because, really, how would that sound? … No good. _

"It's nothing you can help me with Edwin. I have to figure this one out on my own." Lizzie sighed audibly, tasted her chocolate again, and cautiously peered at Edwin's face. He betrayed nothing.

"You know you can tell me, Lizzie. I'll understand. I may not be able to help…" She evaluated his appearance while he spoke, from the ground up. His jeans actually fit, unlike many of the boys at school, and she realized simultaneously this observation and her appreciation for that fact. If she hadn't already been rosy-faced from her exercise Lizzie knew Edwin would have seen her cheeks color. Abruptly she jerked her head upward and saw him, waiting, again, for her response. His _…deep, chocolate brown, pool-like, russet-colored, warm… _eyes probed for answers. _I have got to stop doing that. They're just beau- I mean, they're just eyes._

"Edwin, you just have to believe me. This time, I can't tell you right now. … But really, I'm okay. I talked with mom, and … it's cool." She smiled shakily, hoping her emotions were better guarded than she felt they were.

He was about to speak when Lizzie hastily kicked the soccer ball forward, knocking it into Edwin's shins.

"C'mon Edwin, you can pass to me. You won't be goalie this time, I promise." Without waiting for an answer she seized his mug, jogged over, and set both on the edge of the porch steps. Lizzie doubled back to the driveway and caught the rogue ball with her feet. She smoothly passed it back to Edwin, grinning while he floundered around trying to settle the ball so he could kick it towards Lizzie again.

The point had been to keep her from fixating on her 'problem.' Unfortunately, this wasn't a simple task, considering that part of her 'problem' was endeavoring to corral the ball less than 10 feet away.

**Author's Note: When I first started writing this chapter, I knew Lizzie would come home upset about something. Deciding what agitated her was my biggest problem. Originally, she was upset because she'd had a completely rotten day all around- big test, no recycling in the cafeteria, practice cut short, etc… But, when I reread what I'd written, it hit me that her frustration should stem from the core of this fic- that is, the relationship between Lizzie and Edwin. After that, it all flowed smoothly. Although I really don't like how I ended it.**

**So… please REVIEW! and tell me what you think. Also, I'm open to suggestions for the next chapter or the story in general, so share! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed the first chapter. :D **


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